Outdoor machine of air conditioner

ABSTRACT

An outdoor machine of an air conditioner includes a fan motor mount including a fan motor support plate, and a top plate. The fan motor support plate is formed with: a plurality of props; a prop horizontal plane; a prop front plane; a fitting portion, which is provided on the prop horizontal plane and fitted to a rear end of the top plate; and a first screw hole, which is provided on the prop front plane to fix the top plate. The top plate is formed with: a screw fixing piece, which has a shape parallel to the prop front plane and is provided with a second screw hole corresponding the first screw hole. The fitting portion is fitted to the rear end of the top plate, and the screw fixing piece is located on the front side of the prop front plane.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No.2013-153196 filed on Jul. 24, 2013, the entire subject matter of whichis incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to an outdoor machine of an air conditioner and,more particularly, to a structure of a fan motor mount to support a fanmotor.

BACKGROUND

In an outdoor machine of an air conditioner, a partition plate stands ona bottom plate configuring a bottom part of a housing, and an interiorof the housing is laterally separated by the partition plate into ablower room, in which a blower fan or a heat exchanger is located, and amachine room, in which a compressor or a refrigerant piping is located.Further, electrical and electronic components for controlling anoperation of the air conditioner are mainly arranged at the top of themachine room.

In the blower room, the heat exchanger having a substantially L-shapedhorizontal cross-section is arranged over a side face on the sideopposite to the machine room from the rear side of the housing, and ablower fan is arranged in the front of the heat exchanger located on therear side, i.e., near the front of the housing. Further, a fan motorthat is a driving source of the blower fan is mounted and fixed to a fanmotor mount at a position that is located in the rear of the blower fanand in the front of the heat exchanger.

Similar to the fan motor, the fan motor mount is provided between theblower fan and the heat exchanger in a state where the fan motor mountis substantially erected toward the top face from the bottom plate ofthe housing in a substantially vertical direction. The fan motor mountsupports the fan motor in the middle of the vertical direction, in asubstantially central position of the vertical direction. A motorrotation shaft protrudes forward from the fan motor and is connected tothe blower fan in order to transmit a rotational driving force of thefan motor to the blower fan. The fan motor mount supports not only thefan motor but also the blower fan connected to the fan motor.

The fan motor mount to support the fan motor or the blower fan is fixedin such a way that a lower end portion thereof is screwed to the bottomplate of the housing and an upper end portion thereof is engaged withthe top of the heat exchanger.

There is an outdoor machine of an air conditioner having aconfiguration, in which a locking part is provided separately from thefan motor mount and screwed to the upper end portion of the fan motormount when fixing the upper end portion of the fan motor mount to thetop of the heat exchanger. The locking part has a configuration in whichflanges are suspended from both ends of the top of the fan motor mount,and the upper end of the heat exchanger is inserted through a cutoutportion that is provided in the flanges (for example, seeJP-A-2011-038657 (Paragraph 28, FIG. 2)). Further, a mounting plate forlocking the upper end of the heat exchanger may be mounted to the upperend of the fan motor mount and then screwed to the upper end from above(for example, see JP-UM-Y-H03-032901 (FIG. 3)).

SUMMARY

An outdoor machine of an air conditioner according to a background arthas a configuration in which a rear side of an upper portion of the fanmotor mount is locked to an upper portion of the heat exchanger, but afront side thereof is not fixed anywhere.

Further, in an interior of the blower room, the upper sides of the fanmotor and the blower fan are covered with a top panel that serves as atop face of a housing of the outdoor machine. For example, when a loadis applied from above of the top panel, such as in the case of stackingthe outdoor machines in a warehouse, the load is not supported from therear side of the top panel. Accordingly, there is a problem that the toppanel is deformed depending on the magnitude of the load.

Further, in JP-A-2011-038657, it is necessary to fasten a screw into aprop to support the fan motor from the front and side directions whenfixing the locking part having the cutout portion through which theupper end of the heat exchanger is inserted to the upper end portion ofthe fan motor mount by an operation of fixing the fan motor mount andthe heat exchanger to each other at the upper end portion of the fanmotor mount. In this operation, it is necessary to fasten a screw fromthe front and lateral directions by one hand while aligning the lockingpart with a screw hole by the other hand. Accordingly, there is aproblem in mounting efficiency.

Further, in JP-UM-Y-H03-032901 a screw is fastened from above whenfixing a mounting plate sandwiched between the top plate and the upperend of the heat exchanger to the upper end portion of the motor mount.Accordingly, it is necessary to fasten the screw by placing a driveragainst the screw from right above. Therefore, the operation efficiencyis low, since a worker is required to ride on a work bench and also itis difficult to perform a fixing operation while watching the screwhole. For example, in case of an outdoor machine of an air conditionerwhose entire height is high, such as a case arranging two blower fans ina vertical direction, a mounting operation is particularly difficult.Accordingly, there is a problem that the productivity is low.

This disclosure is provides at least an outdoor machine of an airconditioner that is capable of suppressing a top panel from beingdeformed even when a large load is applied to the top panel from aboveand improving the mounting workability of the fan motor mount, therebyenhancing the productivity.

An outdoor machine of an air conditioner of this disclosure includes: ahousing; a heat exchanger, which is placed on a rear side; a blower fan,which is placed on a front side of the heat exchanger and blows air fromthe rear side to the front side of the housing; a fan motor, which isplaced between the heat exchanger and the blower fan and drives theblower fan; and a fan motor mount, to which the fan motor is fixed,wherein the heat exchanger, the blower fan, the fan motor and the fanmotor mount are placed inside the housing. The fan motor mount includes:a fan motor support plate, which has a lower end portion fixed to abottom plate configuring a bottom face of the housing, is providedsubstantially in a vertical direction toward a top face of the housingand supports the fan motor in a middle of the vertical direction; and atop plate, which connects to fix an upper end portion of the fan motorsupport plate and a front panel configuring a front face of the housing,wherein the fan motor support plate is formed with: a plurality of propswhich extends substantially in the vertical direction from the bottomplate; a prop horizontal plane, which connects upper end portions of theprops to each other and extends in a front-rear direction from the upperend portions of the props; a prop front plane, which is downwardly andsubstantially vertically bent from the prop horizontal plane to face thefront panel; a fitting portion, which is provided on the prop horizontalplane and fitted to a rear end of the top plate; and a first screw hole,which is provided on the prop front plane to fix the top plate, whereinthe top plate is formed with: a screw fixing piece, which has a shapeparallel to the prop front plane and extending downward and is providedwith a second screw hole corresponding the first screw hole of the fanmotor support plate, wherein the fitting portion of the fan motorsupport plate is fitted to the rear end of the top plate, and whereinthe screw fixing piece of the top plate is located on the front side ofthe prop front plane of the fan motor support plate.

According to this disclosure, it is possible to provide an outdoormachine of an air conditioner that is capable of suppressing a top panelfrom being deformed even when a large load is applied to the top panelfrom above and improving the mounting workability of the fan motormount, thereby enhancing the productivity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and additional features and characteristics of thisdisclosure will become more apparent from the following detaileddescriptions considered with the reference to the accompanying drawings,wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an outdoor machineof an air conditioner according to a first illustrative embodiment ofthis disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a lateral configuration view illustrating a fan motor mountand surroundings, according to the first illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a fan motor mountand a fan motor, according to the first illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged exploded perspective view illustrating a top plateand an upper end portion of a fan motor support plate, according to thefirst illustrative embodiment;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are explanatory views illustrating a fitting portion ofthe top plate and a fan motor support plate, according to the firstillustrative embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along a line VI-VI shown in FIG. 4,according to the first illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a front view illustrating a state where the top plate isfitted to an upper end portion of a fan motor support plate as seen fromthe front side, according to the first illustrative embodiment;

FIGS. 8A and 8B are explanatory views illustrating a fitting portion ofa fan motor support plate and a top plate, according to a secondillustrative embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view illustrating another configuration exampleregarding a fitting portion of the fan motor support plate and the topplate, according to the second illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 10 illustrates a configuration example of a guide part and is afront view illustrating a state where a top plate is fitted to an upperend portion of a fan motor support plate as seen from the front side,according to a third illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 11 illustrates another configuration example of the guide part andis an explanatory view illustrating the fitting movement of the fanmotor support plate and the top plate, as seen from above, according tothe third illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 12 illustrates a configuration example of a fan motor support baseand is a front view illustrating a state where a top plate is fitted toan upper end portion of a fan motor support plate, as seen from thefront side, according to a fourth illustrative embodiment; and

FIG. 13 illustrates another configuration example of the fan motorsupport base and is an enlarged exploded perspective view illustratingan upper end portion of the fan motor support plate and the top plate,according to the fourth illustrative embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION First Illustrative Embodiment

Hereinafter, an outdoor machine of an air conditioner according to afirst illustrative embodiment of this disclosure will be described indetail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an outdoor machineof an air conditioner (hereinafter, simply referred to as an “outdoormachine”) according to a first illustrative embodiment of thisdisclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, a substantially rectangularparallelepiped housing of the outdoor machine is configured by aplurality of panels, for example, a front panel 1, a side panel 2, a toppanel 3 and a bottom plate 8. All of these panels are made of sheetmetal. The front panel 1 has a substantially L-shaped horizontalcross-section. The front panel 1 configures a front part of the housingand also configures a side part on the side opposite to the side panel2. The top panel 3 configures a top face of the housing of the outdoormachine. Further, a heat exchanger (to be described later) is placed ata rear side.

A blower room 4 and a machine room 5 are provided in an interior of thehousing of the outdoor machine. Respective rooms are separated by aseparator 6 that is vertically placed, in a lateral direction. Theblower room 4 is located on the left side, and the machine room 5 islocated on the right side, as seen from the front of the outdoormachine. Further, a plurality of components inside the outdoor machineis held on the bottom plate 8 that is placed on a bottom face and hasleg parts 7. The outdoor machine is to be located outdoors. The outdoormachine is connected to an indoor machine (not shown) that is locatedindoors via a refrigerant piping to form a refrigerant circuit. Theoutdoor machine configures an air conditioner performing the heating andcooling of an indoor space in which the indoor machine is attached.

In the blower room 4, a heat exchanger 12 is located at the rear sideand a fan motor mount 15 is located at the front side of the heatexchanger 12. The fan motor mount 15 is adapted to hold a fan motor 14equipped with a blower fan 13 configured by a propeller fan. The fanmotor 14 is placed between the heat exchanger 12 and the blower fan 13and rotationally drives the blower fan 13. The fan motor mount 15 has alower end portion fixed to the bottom plate 8 by a screw. The fan motormount 15 is provided in a substantially vertical direction toward thetop panel 3 and holds the fan motor 14 in a middle of the verticaldirection. Further, the heat exchanger 12 has a substantially L-shapedhorizontal cross-section and includes a lateral side planar part 12 a, acurve-shaped corner part 12 b and a rear side planar part 12 c. The fanmotor 14 is located on the front side of the rear side planar part 12 c.

By the rotation of the blower fan 13, air (outside air) flows into theindoor machine through the heat exchanger 12 from the rear side of theoutdoor machine. The air flows out to the front side of the outdoormachine through the blower fan 13. In this way, for example, during acooling operation, refrigerant in the heat exchanger 12 is cooled by theair and the air passing through the heat exchanger 12 is heated byexchanging heat with the refrigerant and then flows to the outside ofthe outdoor machine.

A compressor 9 and a refrigerant piping 10 are provided in the machineroom 5. The refrigerant sent from the indoor machine (not shown) iscompressed in the compressor 9 and then sent to the heat exchanger 12through the refrigerant piping 10. Electrical components 11 are placedon the upper side of the housing to supply power to each component ofthe outdoor machine.

Here, as shown in FIG. 1, in the description of the present illustrativeembodiment, a front direction of the front panel 1 is referred to as afront side and an opposite direction thereof is referred to as a rearside. Further, a direction connecting the front side and the rear sideis referred to as a front-rear direction. In addition, as seen from thefront, a right side is corresponding to a direction in which the machineroom 5 is located and a left side is corresponding to a direction inwhich the blower room 4 is located. Meanwhile, the front side may beexplained as a front direction, the rear side may be explained as a reardirection, the right side may be explained as a right direction and theleft side may be explained as a left direction.

FIG. 2 is a lateral configuration view illustrating the fan motor mount15 and surroundings, according to the first illustrative embodiment.FIG. 2 illustrates a lateral configuration of the blower room 5 in whichthe side part of the front panel 1, the side panel 2, the lateral sideplanar part 12 a and the corner part 12 b of the heat exchanger 12 andthe separator 6 are removed, as seen from the left direction to theright direction. Further, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective viewillustrating the fan motor 14 and the fan motor mount 15, according tothe first illustrative embodiment.

The fan motor mount 15 includes two members of a fan motor support plate16 and a top plate 17, which are separated from each other. The topplate 17 is fixed to the fan motor support plate 16 by an assemblyprocess of the outdoor machine.

The fan motor support plate 16 includes: a mounting part 16 a that isformed at a lower end portion thereof and mounted to the bottom plate 8;a prop part 16 b that extends in a substantially vertical direction fromthe bottom plate 8; a motor support plane 15 a that is formed in themiddle of the vertical direction of the prop part 16 b; aheat-exchanger-upper-end fixing part 16 d to which an upper end of theheat exchanger 12 is fixed on the rear side of the prop part 16 b; and aprop horizontal plane 16 m that extends horizontally in a front-reardirection (to the rear side, in the present illustrative embodiment)from the prop part 16 b and is connected to the heat-exchanger-upper-endfixing part 16 d. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the prop part 16 bincludes: a plurality of props 16 i (two props 16 i extending in avertical direction, in the present illustrative embodiment); propsupports 16 k that transversely span two props 16 i at plural locationsof the vertical direction of the props 16 i to reinforce the strength ofthe lateral direction of the prop part 16 b; and a prop front plane 16 jthat connects two props 16 i at an upper end portion of the prop part 16b and is a plane facing the front panel 1. The prop front plane 16 j isdownwardly and substantially vertically and bent from the prophorizontal plane 16 m. The heat-exchanger-upper-end fixing part 16 d isformed on a rear end of the prop horizontal plane 16 m.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the heat-exchanger-upper-end fixing part16 d includes a locking part that is opened downward and has asubstantially U-shaped cross-section. By sandwiching an upper endportion of the rear side planar part 12 c of the heat exchanger 12 withthe locking part, the upper end portion of the rear side planar part 12c of the heat exchanger 12 is fixed to an upper end portion of the fanmotor support plate 16. In the front side of the fan motor mount 15, aflange-like front end of the top plate 17 that is turned back downwardand an upper end portion of the front panel 1 are fixed to each other bya screw 1 a (see FIG. 2).

A buffer material 18 made of, e.g., polypropylene is fixed to the upperportion of the top plate 17 shown in FIG. 2. Although the buffermaterial 18 is omitted in the drawings other than FIG. 2, the buffermaterial 18 is interposed between the top panel 3 and the top plate 17.

As seen from the side of the blower room 4, the rear side planar part 12c of the heat exchanger 12 is located on the rear side of the fan motorsupport plate 16. Therefore, even when a force is applied to the outdoormachine from above, the rear side of the fan motor support plate 16 isadapted to secure the strength in the vertical direction. On the otherhand, the front side of the fan motor support plate 16 is an airpassage, in which the blower fan 13 is provided and, has a wider space.In the outdoor machine described in the present illustrative embodiment,the top plate 17 for connecting and fixing the front panel 1 and anupper end portion of the fan motor support plate 16 is provided at anupper part of the wider space. By screwing the top plate 17 to the frontpanel 1 and the top plate 17 to the fan motor support plate 16,respectively, the fan motor support plate 16 can be supported in thefront-rear direction. Further, since, the top plate 17 is provided alongthe plane of the top panel 3 and below the top panel 3, the top panel 3is reinforced by the top plate 17 from the below. Therefore, it ispossible to suppress the bending or denting deformation of the top panel3 even when a load is applied from above of the top panel 3, such as bystacking. By providing the top plate 17, it is possible to provide anoutdoor machine that has a strong strength against the load or impactfrom the above of the outdoor machine.

Further, the buffer material 18 is sandwiched between the top plate 17and the top panel 3, and the load applied from above of the outdoormachine is transmitted to the inside of the outdoor machine via thebuffer material 18. Therefore, the impact is alleviated when the outdoormachine receives a local impact.

When the fan motor support plate 16 and the top plate 17 are integrallyconfigured as the fan motor mount 15, the fan motor mount 15 includingthe top plate 17 has a T shape and the size thereof has the same levelas the length in the front-rear direction of the outdoor machine and thelength in the depth direction of the outdoor machine. In case that thefan motor mount 15 is configured as a large three-dimensional componentin this way, the delivery property becomes low in the assembly line andin the time of transporting the fan motor mount 15. In the aboveillustrative embodiment, the fan motor support plate 16 and the topplate 17 are configured as separate members, and the delivery propertybecomes good in the assembly line and in the time of transporting thecomponent. Further, in the assembly line of the outdoor machine, the fanmotor support plate 16 is fixed to the bottom plate 8 and then the topplate 17 is mounted to an upper end portion of the fan motor supportplate 16, thereby forming the fan motor mount 15.

Hereinafter, a mounting structure for mounting the top plate 17 to thefan motor support plate 16 will be described. FIG. 4 is an enlargedexploded perspective view illustrating an upper end portion of the fanmotor support plate 16 and the top plate 17. Two-dot chain line shown inFIG. 4 is a line that connects matching parts when mounting the topplate 17 to the fan motor support plate 16. As shown in FIG. 4, the fanmotor support plate 16 and the top plate 17 are configured as separatemembers. In the front side of the heat-exchanger-upper-end fixing part16 d that is formed on the rear side of the upper end portion of the fanmotor support plate 16, a fan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion16 c is provided to restrict the movement in the vertical direction ofthe top plate 17. The fan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 16 cis configured to fit to the rear end (hereinafter, referred to as atop-plate-side fitting portion 17 b) of the top plate 17. Specifically,the fan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 16 c is formed bycutting and raising upward a portion of the central part in a lateraldirection of the prop horizontal plane 16 m so as to have an L-shapedcross-section with a predetermined lateral width. Accordingly, thefan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 16 c forms an L-shapedcross-section by an L-shaped upright portion 16 q (see FIG. 5) and anL-shaped horizontal plate piece 16 p (see FIG. 5). An opening isprovided at both left and right sides and the front side of thefan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 16 c. That is, the openingis provide at positions other than the L-shaped upright portion 16 q.The fan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 16 c will be describedin detail with reference to FIG. 5.

Further, in the prop front plane 16 j of the upper end portion of theprop part 16 b, a screw hole 16 e for fixing the top plate 17 isprovided at a center portion in the lateral direction. In addition, aguide part 16 f is formed by cutting and raising a portion of theperiphery of the top-plate fixing screw hole 16 e, e.g., from the rearside to the front side and in the direction of the screw hole 16 e. Whena screw fixing piece 17 c (to be described later) of the top plate 17 isfixed, the guide part 16 f is provided to protrude to the front side ata position along a substantially semi-circular contour of the lower endportion of the screw fixing piece 17 c. In other words, the guide part16 f is formed to protrude to the front side with crossing in thelateral side and the lower side so that the guide part 16 iscorresponding to the fixed position of the contour of the screw fixingpiece 17 c. In the prop front plane 16 j, a hole 16 g is left at theperiphery of the guide part 16 f as a result of the cutting and raisingof the guide part 16 f. Hereinafter, this hole 16 g is simply referredto as a “left hole”.

The top plate 17 includes a top-plate horizontal plane 17 m on the rearside thereof. The top-plate horizontal plane 17 m is substantiallyparallel to a horizontal plane (hereinafter, referred to as a top face)of the top panel 3. Further, the top plate 17 includes a top-plate-sidefitting portion 17 b that is located on the center portion in thelateral direction of the rear end portion of the top-plate horizontalplane 17 m. A rear end face of the top-plate-side fitting portion 17 bis referred to as a fitting-portion rear end face 17 a. In the presentillustrative embodiment, the top-plate-side fitting portion 17 b is aplane part forming a portion of the top-plate horizontal plane 17 m. Thetop-plate-side fitting portion 17 b is located at a substantiallycentral portion in the lateral direction of the rear end portion andfitted to the fan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 16 c whenbeing mounted to the fan motor support plate 16. In the drawing, thetop-plate-side fitting portion 17 b is indicated by a dotted line. Thefitting-portion rear end face 17 a is located on the rear end face ofthe top-plate-side fitting portion 17 b. In the present illustrativeembodiment, the fitting-portion rear end face 17 a is a portion of theside that linearly extends in the lateral direction of the rear end faceof the top-plate horizontal plane 17 m. Further, the top plate 17includes at least one (three, in the present illustrative embodiment)front-panel fixing screw hole 17 d on the front side thereof.

Further, the top plate 17 includes the screw fixing piece 17 c that isplaced on the front side of the top-plate fixing screw hole 16 eprovided at the fan motor support plate 16. The screw fixing piece 17 cis a planar plate piece that is branched downward from the top-platehorizontal plane 17 m on the front side of the top-plate-side fittingportion 17 b and extends downward in parallel with the prop front plane16 j of the prop part 16 b. A fan-motor-support-plate fixing screw hole17 e is provided at a substantially central portion of the screw fixingpiece 17 c. The fan-motor-support-plate fixing screw hole 17 e islocated at a position substantially the same as the top-plate fixingscrew hole 16 e provided at the prop front plane 16 j and is formed as ahole that is slightly larger than the top-plate fixing screw hole 16 e.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are explanatory views illustrating a fitting portion ofthe fan motor support plate 16 and the top plate 17 according to thefirst illustrative embodiment. FIG. 5A is a plan view of thefan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 16 c and the top-plate-sidefitting portion 17 b, as seen from above, illustrating a state where thetop plate 17 is slid relative to the fan motor support plate 16.Further, FIG. 5B is a sectional view illustrating a fitted state of thefan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 16 c and the top-plate-sidefitting portion 17 b. In FIG. 5, the fan-motor-support-plate-sidefitting portion 16 c has a substantially L-shaped cross-section. TheL-shaped cross-section is formed by the L-shaped horizontal plate piece16 p that is a part parallel to the prop horizontal plane 16 m and theL-shaped upright portion 16 q that is a part perpendicular to the prophorizontal plane 16 m.

In the assembly process of the blower room 4, the heat exchanger 12 isfixed to the bottom plate 8 and then the fan motor mount 15 is mountedto the bottom plate 8. First, the fan motor support plate 16 configuringa portion of the fan motor mount 15 is mounted to the bottom plate 8. Atthis time, in a state where an upper end portion of the rear side planarpart 12 c of the heat exchanger 12 is fitted into the U-shaped part ofthe heat-exchanger-upper-end fixing part 16 d. The mounting part 16 a isfixed to the bottom plate 8 by a screw. Next, as shown in FIGS. 5A and5B, the top plate 17 is slid relative to the fan motor support plate 16from the front side to the rear side (in a direction of an arrow F).When sliding the top plate 17 relative to the fan motor support plate 16in the direction of the arrow F, the fitting-portion rear end face 17 athat is a rear end of the top-plate horizontal plane 17 m is insertedinto an opening on the front side of the fan-motor-support-plate-sidefitting portion 16 c and the top-plate-side fitting portion 17 b is slidbelow the L-shaped horizontal plate piece 16 p.

As shown in FIG. 5B, when a distance between the L-shaped horizontalplate piece 16 p of the fan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 16c and the prop horizontal plane 16 m is set to be slightly longer thatthe thickness of the top-plate horizontal plane 17 m, thefitting-portion rear end face 17 a can be easily fitted to thefan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 16 c.

During the above sliding, a portion of the contour of the screw fixingpiece 17 c shown in FIG. 4 is guided by the convex-shaped guide part 16f, and therefore the screw fixing piece 17 c is brought into contactwith the prop front plane 16 j. Further, the top-plate fixing screw hole16 e and the fan-motor-support-plate fixing screw hole 17 e arepositioned so as to substantially coincide with each other.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along a line VI-VI shown in FIG. 4,illustrating a state where the fan-motor-support-plate-side fittingportion 16 c and the top-plate-side fitting portion 17 b are fitted toeach other by sliding the top plate 17 relative to the fan motor supportplate 16 from the front side to the rear side. In FIG. 6, a referencenumeral A represents the moment due to the weight of the top plate 17, aposition B represents the fixed position of the rear side planar part 12c of the heat exchanger 12, a position C represents the position of theprop front plane 16 j, a position D represents the fixed position of thefront panel 1 and a position E represents the branch point of the screwfixing piece 17 c of the top plate 17.

Movement in the vertical direction of the top plate 17 is restricted bythe fitting of the fitting portions 16 c, 17 b. In other words, movementin the vertical direction of the top-plate-side fitting portion 17 b issuppressed by the fan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 16 c fromabove. Further, in the position C, the screw fixing piece 17 c extendsdownward from the branch point E and is in contact with the front sideof the prop front plane 16 j. Therefore, against the moment A thatoccurs around the branch point E by the weight of the top plate 17, theabove state is stably held even in the state of releasing hands.

The top plate 17 stops moving and is temporarily fixed in a state wherean upper face of the prop horizontal plane 16 m and a lower face of thetop-plate horizontal plane 17 m are in contact with each other by theweight of the top plate 17 and in a state where the screw fixing piece17 c is contact with the prop front plane 16 j.

Thus, in the assembly process, the fan-motor-support-plate-side fittingportion 16 c and the top-plate-side fitting portion 17 b can be fittedto each other just by sliding the top plate 17 from the front side tothe rear side. Further, this fitted state can be stably held even in thestate of releasing hands and therefore the top plate 17 can betemporarily fixed. Here, the temporary fixing means that the mountedstate can be held in the state of releasing hands and then securefixation can be made by a screw. Since the top plate 17 is temporarilyfixed to the fan motor support plate 16 in a stable manner, a worker canfreely use both hands and fasten a screw by placing a driver against thefan-motor-support-plate fixing screw hole 17 e and the top-plate fixingscrew hole 16 e from the front side. Alignment in the lateral directionwill be described below.

FIG. 7 is a front view illustrating a state where the top plate 17 isfitted and temporarily fixed to an upper end portion of the fan motorsupport plate 16, as seen from the front side, according to the firstillustrative embodiment. The guide parts 16 f are provided on at leastboth left and right sides of the contour of the screw fixing piece 17 cin the prop front plane 16 j of the fan motor support plate 16. Theguide parts 16 f have a shape protruding to the front side by being cutand raised in the direction of the top-plate fixing screw hole 16 e andare adapted to guide the sliding in the front-rear direction of thescrew fixing piece 17 c. Upon sliding the top plate 17, the contour ofthe screw fixing piece 17 c is slid along the guide parts 16 f andpositioned in the fixed position of the screw fixing piece 17 c. As thescrew fixing piece 17 c of the top plate 17 is fixed to the inside ofthe guide parts 16 f, movement in a lateral direction W of the screwfixing piece 17 c is restricted and positioning in the lateral directionW of the top plate 17 relative to the fan motor support plate 16 isaccurately made.

Further, the screw fixing piece 17 c is configured by a plate piece thatextends downward parallel to the prop front plane 16 j of the fan motorsupport plate 16. Here, the screw fixing piece 17 c is located at thelowermost position of the top plate 17 in a state where the top plate 17is fitted to the fan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 16 c ofthe fan motor support plate 16. In other words, the screw holes 16 e, 17e for fixing the top plate 17 c to the fan motor support plate 16 arelocated below the front-panel fixing screw hole 17 d. In a state wherethe top plate 17 is temporarily fixed to the fan motor support plate 16,the top-plate fixing screw hole 16 e and the fan-motor-support-platefixing screw hole 17 e are positioned so as to substantially coincidewith each other and the fan-motor-support-plate fixing screw hole 17 eof the screw fixing piece 17 c is arranged in a position where there isno obstacle on the front side, so that the screw holes 16 e, 17 e arevisible, as seen from the front side. Therefore, a worker can place adriver against a screw while watching the screw holes 16 e, 17 e fromthe front side and therefore it is possible to further enhance themounting workability of the top plate 17. Unlike a conventionalconfiguration in which screwing is made from above, a worker can performan operation without riding on the work bench and the aligned state istemporarily fixed, so that a worker can freely fasten a screw with bothhands while watching the screw holes from the front. As a result, themounting workability of the fan motor mount 15 is enhanced, therebyimproving the productivity.

In this way, since, in the first illustrative embodiment, the fan motormount 15 is configured by two members and the top plate 17 is fixed tothe fan motor support plate 16 in the assembly process of the outdoormachine, there is an effect that can prevent the delivery property inthe assembly line and in the time of transporting the fan motor mount 15from getting worse due to the fact that the fan motor mount 15 isconfigured as one large three-dimensional T-shaped component.

Further, since an upper end portion of the fan motor support plate 16and the front panel 1 are connected to fix each other via the top plate17, the mounted state of the upper end portion of the fan motor mount 15in the front-rear direction can be supported.

Further, since the back of the top panel 3 is supported by the top plate17, it is possible to suppress the top panel 3 from being deformed evenwhen a large load is applied from above of the top panel 3.

Furthermore, since the top plate 17 is temporarily fixed by the fittingportions 16 c, 17 b and the screw fixing piece 17 c when the top plate17 is slid from the front side to the rear side at the time of mountingthe top plate 17 to the upper end portion of the fan motor support plate16, a stable temporary fixing is possible in which the mounted state isheld in the state of releasing hands.

Further, in an operation of fixing the top plate 17 to the fan motorsupport plate 16, a worker can slide the top plate 17 relative to thefan motor support plate 16 from the front side to the rear side andfasten a screw while watching the screw holes 17 e, 16 e provided on thescrew fixing piece 17 c from the front side. Accordingly, a worker canperform all of the operations from the front side and thus does not needto move. As a result, the assembly workability and productivity of theoutdoor machine is improved.

Second Illustrative Embodiment

In the first illustrative embodiment, the movement in the verticaldirection of the top plate 17 during sliding is restricted by cuttingand raising an L-shaped cross-section part to form thefan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 16 c and sliding thefitting-portion rear end face 17 a and the top-plate-side fittingportion 17 b of the top-plate horizontal plane 17 m below the L-shapedprop horizontal plane 16 m. The second illustrative embodiment of thisdisclosure illustrates another configuration example of the fittingportion that performs aligning in the vertical direction of the topplate 17 relative to the fan motor support plate 16 by restricting themovement in the vertical direction of the top plate 17 during thesliding of the top plate 17.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are explanatory views illustrating a fitting portion ofthe top plate 17 and the fan motor support plate 16 according to thesecond illustrative embodiment of this disclosure. FIG. 8A is a planview illustrating a state where the top plate 17 is slid relative to thefan motor support plate 16, as seen from above of afan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 20 and a top-plate-sidefitting portion 21. Further, FIG. 8B is a sectional view illustratingthe fitted state of the fan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 20and the top-plate-side fitting portion 21. Here, a length L3 in thelateral direction of the fan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 20is set to be greater than a length L4 in the lateral direction of thetop-plate-side fitting portion 21. An upper face of thefan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 20 indicated by a dottedline is the same as the prop horizontal plane 16 m of the portion of thefan motor support plate 16 in which the fan-motor-support-plate-sidefitting portion 20 is provided. A fitting portion insertion hole 20 a isprovided on the front side of the fan-motor-support-plate-side fittingportion 20. Meanwhile, the top-plate-side fitting portion 21 is a platepiece that is provided on the rear end face of the top plate 17 andprotrudes to the rear side. In the vertical direction, an upper face ofthe top-plate-side fitting portion 21 is located below the top-platehorizontal plane 17 m of the top plate 17 on the front side of thetop-plate-side fitting portion 21.

When sling the top plate 17 relative to the fan motor support plate 16in a direction of an arrow F, the top-plate-side fitting portion 21 isinserted into the fitting portion insertion hole 20 a and, as shown inFIG. 8B, fitting is performed so that a lower face of thefan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 20 and an upper face of thetop-plate-side fitting portion 21 are brought into contact with eachother. At this time, a leading end of the top-plate-side fitting portion21 is inserted slightly downward to the fitting portion insertion hole20 a and then slid, as indicated by an arrow G. Since the lower face ofthe fan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 20 and the upper faceof the top-plate-side fitting portion 21 are in contact with each other,the upper face of the top-plate-side fitting portion 21 is pressed bythe lower face of the fan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 20from above and therefore the movement in the vertical direction of thetop-plate-side fitting portion 21 is restricted. By the screw fittingpiece 17 c and the fitting portions 20, 21 having such a configuration,the movement of the top plate 17 due to the moment A around the branchpoint E shown in FIG. 6 is suppressed and therefore the top plate 17 istemporarily fixed in a stable manner.

Since the length L3 in the lateral direction of thefan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 20 is set to be greaterthan the length L4 in the lateral direction of the top-plate-sidefitting portion 21, the top-plate-side fitting portion 21 can be easilyinserted into the fitting portion insertion hole 20 a at the time ofsliding the top plate 17.

Further, in a case where the length L3 and the length L4 aresubstantially the same and the length L3 is slightly greater than thelength L4, both left and right edges of the top-plate-side fittingportion 21 are guided by both left and right edges of the fittingportion insertion hole 20 a and therefore positioning in the lateraldirection of the top plate 17 relative to the fan motor support plate 16is also performed. Therefore, it is not necessary to form a specialguide part (for example, the guide part 16 f in the first illustrativeembodiment) for restricting the movement in the lateral direction of thetop plate 17 relative to the fan motor support plate 16.

Further, FIG. 9 is a sectional view illustrating another configurationexample of a fitting portion of the top plate 17 and the fan motorsupport plate 16 according to the second illustrative embodiment. FIG. 9show a fitted state of a fan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 22and a top-plate-side fitting portion 23. Thefan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 22 has a J-shapedcross-section that is formed by cutting and raising upward a portion ofthe central part in the lateral direction of the prop horizontal plane16 m and turning back downward the front side of the cut and raisedplate piece. Further, the top-plate-side fitting portion 23 is providedon the rear end of the top plate 17 and a leading end thereof is turnedback upward to form an L-shaped cross-section. The length in thevertical direction of a turned-back piece 22 a with the J-shapedcross-section and a turned-back piece 23 a with the L-shapedcross-section is substantially the same. In a case where thefan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 22 is formed by cutting andraising the prop horizontal plane 16 m, a hole 22 b is formed on thefront side as a result of cutting and raising of thefan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 22. Hereinafter, this hole22 b is simply referred to as a “left hole”. Further, in a lower endportion of the screw fixing piece 17 c, the guide part 16 f is providedat the prop front plane 16 j and protrudes to the front side so as tomatch the contour of the lower end portion.

When sliding the top plate 17 to the fan motor support plate 16 from thefront side to the rear side, the top-plate-side fitting portion 23 isinserted into the left hole 22 b and, as shown in FIG. 9, the J-shapedturned-back piece 22 a of the fan-motor-support-plate-side fittingportion 22 and the L-shaped turned-back piece 23 a of the top-plate-sidefitting portion 23 are fitted in a state of being hooked with eachother. At this time, a leading end of the top-plate-side fitting portion23 is inserted slightly downward to the left hole 22 b and then slid, asindicated by an arrow H. Since the J-shaped turned-back piece 22 a ofthe fan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 22 and the L-shapedturned-back piece 23 a of the top-plate-side fitting portion 23 arefitted to each other, the top plate 17 is restricted in moving relativeto the fan motor support plate 16 in the vertical direction andtherefore is positioned. Also in the fitting portions 22, 23 of such aconfiguration, the movement in the vertical direction of the top plate17 is restricted. Although a force is applied upward to thetop-plate-side fitting portion 23 due to the weight of the top plate 17,the fan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 22 presses thetop-plate-side fitting portion 23 from above, against the upward force.With these fitting portions 22, 23 of such a configuration, it ispossible to suppress the movement of the top plate 17 due to the momentA by the weight of the top plate 17 shown in FIG. 6. Accordingly, thefitted state can be temporarily fixed in a stable manner even in thestate of releasing both hands.

Herein, two configuration examples of the fitting portions are shown inFIG. 8 and FIG. 9. In both configuration examples, the movement in thevertical direction of the top-plate horizontal plane 17 m is restrictedby the fan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portions 20, 22 provided inthe prop horizontal plane 16 m. As a result, positioning of thetemporary fixing of the top plate 17 relative to the fan motor supportplate 16 is made.

Third Illustrative Embodiment

Although, in the first illustrative embodiment, the guide part 16 fshown in FIG. 7 has a function of restricting the movement in thelateral direction W of the top plate 17 and positioning the top plate 17when a worker slides the top plate 17 relative to the fan motor supportplate 16 from the front side to the rear side, this disclosure is notlimited to the configuration of the guide part 16 f shown in FIG. 7.With the function of the guide part, the fan motor support plate 16 andthe top plate 17 are relatively positioned in the lateral direction Wwhen sliding the top plate 17. Since, by the guide part, the fan motorsupport plate 16 and the top plate 17 are relatively positioned in thelateral direction W, the fan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 16c of the fan motor support plate 16 and the top-plate-side fittingportion 17 b of the top plate 17 are aligned in the lateral directionand the top-plate fixing screw hole 16 e and the fan-motor-support-platefixing screw hole 17 e are also aligned in the lateral direction.

In the third illustrative embodiment of this disclosure, anotherconfiguration of the guide part having the above-described function willbe described. FIG. 10 illustrates a configuration example of the guidepart and is a front view illustrating a state where the top plate 17 isfitted to an upper end portion of the fan motor support plate 16, thethird illustrative embodiment of this disclosure. In the configurationexample shown in FIG. 10, two guide parts 16 h are provided on the leftand right sides of the fixed position of the screw fixing piece 17 c.The guide part 16 is also configured in such a way that the guide partis provided on the prop front plane 16 j and protrudes to the frontside. Even with such a configuration, the movement in the lateraldirection W of the screw fixing piece 17 during the sliding of the topplate 17 can be restricted and therefore positioning of the screw holes16 e, 17 e can be made. The guide part 16 h is configured by contractingthe prop front plane 16 j to the front side and then deforming the propfront plane 16 j so as to have a convex shape.

The guide part that is provided on the prop front plane 16 j andrestricts the movement in the lateral direction W of the top plate 17may be projected to the front side from the plane of the prop frontplane 16 j to which the screw fixing piece 17 c is fixed. Similar to theguide part 16 f shown in FIG. 7, the guide part may be formed by cuttingand raising a portion of the prop front plane 16 j. Further, similar tothe guide part 16 h shown in FIG. 10, the guide part may be configuredby contracting and deforming the prop front plane 16 j without cuttingand raising a portion of the prop front plane. Here, in a case where theguide part is formed by the cutting and raising, as in the guide part 16f, the left hole 16 g is formed on the prop part 16 b. By providing theleft hole 16 g penetrating in the front-rear direction on the prop part16, the air that is heat-exchanged in the heat exchanger 12 can easilyflow out to the front side through the left hole 16 g, so that the heatexchange efficiency is enhanced. Therefore, in view of the heat exchangeefficiency, it is preferable that the guide part is formed to have ashape convex to the front side by the cutting and raising.

Meanwhile, in a case where the strength of the fan motor mount 15 isinsufficient due to the formation of the left hole 16 g, it ispreferable to contract and deform the fan motor mount 15, similarly tothe guide part 16 h.

Since the guide parts are provided in at least the left and right sidesof the contour of the prop front plane 16 i on which the screw fixingpiece 17 c is placed, it is possible to restrict the movement in thelateral direction of the screw fixing piece 17 c. The guide parts 16 fshown in FIG. 7 are formed on at least the left and right sides of thelower end portion of the screw fixing piece 17 c along the substantiallysemi-circular contour of the lower end portion. For example, in a casewhere the shape of the lower end portion of the screw fixing piece 17 cis an angular shape, the guide parts may be provided along the left andright sides of the contour of the screw fixing piece 17 c, similarly tothe guide parts 16 h shown in FIG. 10.

Hereinafter, as another configuration example of the guide part, aconfiguration in which a guide part is provided in the top plate 17 willbe described. FIG. 11 is an explanatory view illustrating aconfiguration of a guide part according to the third illustrativeembodiment. FIG. 11 is an explanatory view illustrating the fittingmovement of the fan motor support plate 16 and the top plate 17, as seenfrom above. In FIG. 11, the length L1 in the lateral direction W of thefan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 16 c is substantially thesame as the length L2 in the lateral direction W of the top-plate-sidefitting portion 17 b that is fitted to the fan-motor-support-plate-sidefitting portion 16. As in the configuration of FIG. 4, thefan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 16 c has an L-shapedcross-section and has a shape that is opened on the front side and bothleft and right sides. The guide parts 17 f provided on the rear end ofthe top plate 3 are further extended to the rear side from both sides ofthe top-plate-side fitting portion 17 b. Further, the guide parts 17 fare inclined in opposite directions so that a width therebetween isgradually widened toward a rear end 19 g of the top plate 17 from thetop-plate-side fitting portion 17 b.

When the top plate 17 is slid in a direction of an arrow F, both ends inthe lateral direction W of the upright portion (having a substantiallyL-shaped cross-section) of the fan-motor-support-plate-side fittingportion 16 c are guided by the inclination of the guide parts 17 f sothat the both ends are gradually aligned with the top-plate-side fittingportion 17 b in the lateral direction W and fitted thereto. Therefore,the movement in the vertical direction and lateral direction W of thefitting portions 16 c, 17 b is restricted so that the fitting portionsare positioned. In this state, the top-plate fixing screw hole 16 e andthe fan-motor-support-plate fixing screw hole 17 e of the screw fixingpiece 17 c may be, respectively, provided at positions substantiallymatching each other. In this configuration, since the top plate 17 canbe smoothly slid relative to the fan motor support plate 16 andpositioned in the vertical direction and lateral direction W, it ispossible to improve the efficiency of the mounting operation. Further,since there is no need for the guide parts 16 f that are provided on theprop part 16 b of the fan motor support plate 16, as shown in FIG. 7 orthe guide parts 16 h as shown in FIG. 10, it is possible to simplify theshape of sheet metal parts and the mold.

Further, another configuration of the guide part will be described. Inthe plane parallel to the top panel 3 shown in FIG. 11, i.e., in theprop horizontal plane 16 m and the top-plate horizontal plane 17 m, thelength (lateral width) in the lateral direction W of the prop horizontalplane 16 m is set to be slightly longer than the length (lateral width)in the lateral direction W of the top-plate horizontal plane 17 m andtherefore both front-side ends 16 n of the fan motor support plate 16are projected in both sides from both back-side ends 17 h of the topplate 17, respectively. In addition, a convex part may be provided onboth front-side ends 16 n of the projected portion of the fan motorsupport plate 16 so as to protrude upward (to the top panel 3 side) fromthe prop horizontal plane 16 m. The convex part may be employed as theguide part. As the both back-side ends 17 h of the top plate 17 are slidalong the convex part provided on both front-side ends 16 n of the fanmotor support plate 16, it is possible to restrict the movement in thelateral direction W of the top plate 17 relative to the fan motorsupport plate 16. The convex part may be formed by cutting and raisingupward a corner portion of the both front-side ends 16 n of the prophorizontal plane 16 m.

On the contrary, in the plane parallel to the top panel 3 shown in FIG.11, the length (lateral width) in the lateral direction W of thetop-plate horizontal plane 17 m is set to be slightly longer than thelength (lateral width) in the lateral direction W of the prop horizontalplane 16 m and therefore both back-side ends 17 h of the top plate 17are projected in both sides from both front-side ends 16 n of the fanmotor support plate 16, respectively. In addition, a convex part may beprovided on both back-side ends 17 h of the projected portion of the topplate 17 so as to protrude downward from the top-plate horizontal plane17 m. The convex part may be employed as the guide part. As bothfront-side ends 16 n of the fan motor support plate 16 are slid alongthe convex part provided on the both back-side ends 17 h of the topplate 17, it is possible to restrict the movement in the lateraldirection W of the top plate 17 relative to the fan motor support plate16. The convex part may be formed by cutting and raising downward acorner portion of the both back-side ends 17 h of the top-platehorizontal plane 17 m.

As shown in the third illustrative embodiment, the guide part may beprovided on the fan motor support plate 16 or the top plate 17. Theguide part may be configured in such a way that at least one of bothback-side ends 17 h of the top-plate horizontal plane 17 m, the screwfixing piece 17 c and the top-plate-side fitting portion 17 b of the topplate 17 is restricted in moving relative to the fan motor support plate16 in the lateral direction W and therefore positioning is made whensliding the top plate 17 relative to the fan motor support plate 16.

Fourth Illustrative Embodiment

In a fourth illustrative embodiment of this disclosure, a configurationrelating to the improvements of the heat exchange efficiency inside theoutdoor machine will be described. FIG. 12 is a front view illustratinga state where the top plate 7 is temporarily fixed to an upper endportion of the fan motor support plate 16, as seen from the front side,according to the fourth illustrative embodiment. Vent holes 19 areprovided on both left and right sides of the screw fixing piece 17 c inthe prop front plane 16 j of the fan motor support plate 16. The venthole 19 is a hole that is provided in the prop front plane 16 j andpenetrates the prop front plane 16 j in the front-rear direction.

In the blower room 4 of the outdoor machine, the outside air taken infrom the rear side of the outdoor machine is heat-exchanged in the heatexchanger 12, blown to the front side and flows out to the outside ofthe outdoor machine through an air outlet provided in the front panel 1.Therefore, the blower room 4 in which the air can easily flow in thefront-rear direction is preferable in view of the heat exchangeefficiency of the heat exchanger 12. By the vent holes 19 shown in FIG.12, the ventilation of the blower room 4 of the outdoor machine becomesgood and the air that is heat-exchanged in the heat exchanger 12 caneasily flow out to the front side. As a result, the heat exchangeefficiency is enhanced.

In a case where, in the range that there is no problem in strength, avent hole for passing the air from the rear side to the front side isprovided on the periphery of the fixed position of the screw fixingpiece 17 c or, besides the periphery, a portion of the prop part 16 bthat does not contribute to the support of other members, the heatexchange efficiency of the heat exchanger 12 is enhanced.

A configuration for further enhancing the heat exchange efficiency isshown in FIG. 13. FIG. 13 is an enlarged exploded perspective viewillustrating the upper end portion of the fan motor support plate 16 andthe top plate 17. As shown in FIG. 13, a prop-part-side screw fixingpiece 24 protruding downward is provided on the prop front plane 16 jand the vent hole 19 penetrating in the front-rear direction is formedon the portion of the prop front plane 16 j other than theprop-part-side screw fixing piece 24. The prop-part-side screw fixingpiece 24 is formed so as to substantially match the fixed position ofthe screw fixing piece 17 c and has substantially the same shape andsize as the screw fixing piece 17 c. All of both left and right sidesand lower side of the prop-part-side screw fixing piece 24 are formed asthe vent hole 19. When such a large vent hole 19 is provided, theventilation in the front-rear direction of the blower room 4 is improvedand therefore it is possible to further enhance the heat exchangeefficiency of the heat exchanger 12.

In such a configuration, the guide part may be configured by enlargingthe size in both left and right directions of the prop-part-side screwfixing piece 24 to be larger than the screw fixing piece 17 c of the topplate 17 and turning back and jutting, to the front side, outer edges 24a on both left and right sides of the enlarged portion of theprop-part-side screw fixing piece 24. In this configuration, the movingdirection of the top plate 17 is guided by causing the contour of thescrew fixing piece 17 c to be slid to the turned-back edge provided onthe outer edge 24 a of the prop-part-side screw fixing piece 24 at thetime of sliding the top plate 17. Then, since the screw fixing piece 17c is positioned inside the guide part, the top plate 17 is restricted inmoving relative to the fan motor support plate 16 in the lateraldirection and therefore is temporarily fixed.

On the contrary, the guide part may be configured by enlarging the sizein both left and right directions of the screw fixing piece 17 c of thetop plate 17 to be larger than the prop-part-side screw fixing piece 24and turning back and jutting, to the rear side, outer edges on both leftand right sides of the enlarged portion of the screw fixing piece 17 c.In this configuration, the moving direction of the top plate 17 isguided by causing the outer edge 24 a of the prop-part-side screw fixingpiece 24 to be slid to the turned-back edge provided on the outer edgeof the screw fixing piece 17 c at the time of sliding the top plate 17.Then, since the prop-part-side screw fixing piece 24 is positionedinside the guide part, the top plate 17 is restricted in moving relativeto the fan motor support plate 16 in the lateral direction and thereforeis temporarily fixed.

In the configuration of the present illustrative embodiment, as shown inFIG. 13, the guide part may be provided at the periphery of the screwfixing piece 17 c, the periphery of the fitting portions 16 c, 17 b,both upper-side ends 16 n of the fan motor support plate 16, bothback-side ends 17 h of the top plate 17 or the like. When sliding thetop plate 17 relative to the fan motor support plate 16, positioning maybe made in such a way that the movement in the lateral direction of thetop plate 17 is restricted by the guide part and the positions in thelateral direction of the fan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 16c and the top-plate-side fitting portion 17 b, and the positions in thelateral direction of the top-plate fixing screw hole 16 e and thefan-motor-support-plate fixing screw hole 17 e are substantiallycoincided with each other.

Further, although one fitting portion is provided in the first to fourthillustrative embodiments, a plurality of fitting portions may beprovided. For example, the top plate 17 is more stably held in thelateral direction when two fitting portions are provided at positionsthat are spaced apart in the lateral direction, as seen from the frontside. Further, instead of one, a plurality of screw holes 16 e, 17 e anda plurality of screw fixing piece 17 c may be provided at predeterminedintervals in the lateral direction.

Further, although the heat-exchanger-upper-end fixing part 16 d isformed integrally with the fan motor support plate 16 on the rear sideof the fan motor support plate 16 in the first to fourth illustrativeembodiments, this disclosure is not limited to this configuration. Theheat-exchanger-upper-end fixing part 16 d may be configured separatelyfrom the fan motor support plate 16. In other words, the fan motor mount15 may be configured by three members, i.e., the fan motor support plate16 extending in the vertical direction, the heat-exchanger-upper-endfixing part 16 d extending in the rear side direction and the top plate17 extending in the front side direction and these members may be,respectively, fixed by a screw in the assembly operation process of theoutdoor machine. In this case, each of three members has a shapeextending linearly in one direction and therefore it is possible tofurther enhance the delivery property in the assembly line and in thetime of transporting the fan motor mount 15.

Further, although the prop horizontal plane 16 m is configured by ahorizontal plane protruding from the upper end portion of the prop 16 ito the rear side in the first to fourth illustrative embodiments, theprop horizontal plane 16 m may be configured by a horizontal planeprotruding to the front side. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the prophorizontal plane 16 m of the fan motor support plate 16 may be formed soas to protrude from the upper end portion of the prop 16 i to the frontside. In other words, the prop horizontal plane 16 m is formed by ahorizontal plane that connects a plurality of props 16 i to each otherand extends from the props 16 i to the front. Further, the prop frontplane 16 j is configured by a plane that is substantially verticallybent downward from the prop horizontal plane 16 m on the front side ofthe props 16 i and faces the front panel 1. Also in this configuration,when the fan-motor-support-plate-side fitting portion 16 c provided onthe prop horizontal plane 16 m is fitted to the rear end of the topplate 17 and, on the front side of the prop front plane 16 j, the fanmotor support plate 16 is temporarily fixed so as to come into contactwith the screw fixing piece 17 c provided on the top plate 17, the topplate 17 can be temporarily fixed to the fan motor support plate 16 in astable manner, as described above.

As described above, according to this disclosure, an outdoor machine ofan air conditioner includes a housing, a heat exchanger 12 which isplaced on the rear side, a blower fan 13 which is placed on the frontface of the heat exchanger 12 and blows air from the rear side to thefront side of the housing, a fan motor 14 which is placed between theheat exchanger 12 and the blower fan 13 and drives the blower fan 13 anda fan motor mount 15 to which the fan motor 14 is fixed. The heatexchanger 12, the blower fan 13, the fan motor 14 and the fan motormount 15 are placed inside the housing. The fan motor mount 15 includesa fan motor support plate 16 which has a lower end portion fixed to abottom plate 8 configuring a bottom face of the housing, is providedsubstantially in a vertical direction toward a top face of the housingand supports the fan motor 14 in a middle of the vertical direction anda top plate 17 which connects and fixes an upper end portion of the fanmotor support plate 16 and a front panel 1 configuring a front face ofthe housing. The fan motor support plate 16 includes a plurality ofprops 16 i which extends substantially in a vertical direction from thebottom plate 8, a prop horizontal plane 16 m which connects upper endportions of the props 16 i to each other and protrudes in a front-reardirection from the upper end portions of the props 16 i, a prop frontplane 16 j that is a plane which is downward and substantiallyvertically bent from the prop horizontal plane 16 m and faces the frontpanel 1, a fitting portion 17 c which is provided on the prop horizontalplane 16 j and fitted to a rear end 17 b of the top plate 17 and a screwhole 16 e that is provided on the prop front plane 16 j and fixes thetop plate 17. The top plate 17 includes a screw fixing piece 17 c whichhas a shape parallel to the prop front plane 16 j and extending downwardand is provided with a screw hole 17 e in substantially the sameposition as the screw hole 16 e on the front side thereof. The fittingportion 16 c of the fan motor support plate 16 is fitted to the rear end17 b of the top plate 17 and the screw fixing piece 17 c of the topplate 17 is located on the front side of the prop front plane 16 j ofthe fan motor support plate 16. With these configurations, it ispossible to provide an outdoor machine of an air conditioner which iscapable of suppressing the top panel 3 from being deformed even when alarge load is applied from above of the top panel 3, improving themounting workability of the fan motor mount 15 and enhancing theproductivity.

Further, the prop front plane 16 j is a plane connecting the upper endportions of the props 16 i to each other and the prop horizontal plane16 m protrudes to the rear side from the upper end portion of the propfront plane 16 j and is provided at the rear end thereof with aheat-exchanger-upper-end fixing part 16 d for fixing the upper endportion of the heat exchanger. With these configurations, it is possibleto provide an outdoor machine of an air conditioner which is capable ofsuppressing the top panel 3 from being deformed even when a large loadis applied from above of the top panel 3, improving the mountingworkability of the fan motor mount 15 and enhancing the productivity.

Further, the fitting portion 16 c has a shape which includes an uprightportion 16 q and a horizontal plate piece 16 p formed by cutting andraising a center portion in the lateral direction of the prop horizontalplane 16 m into an L-shaped cross-section and includes openings at bothleft and right sides and the front side of the fitting portion otherthan the upright portion 16 q. Further, by locating the rear end 17 a ofthe top plate 17 below the horizontal plate piece 16 p, the movement inthe vertical direction of the top plate 17 is restricted. With theseconfigurations, it is possible to provide an outdoor machine of an airconditioner which is capable of improving the mounting workability ofmounting the top plate 17 to the fan motor support plate 16 andenhancing the productivity.

Further, the fan motor support plate 16 includes guide parts 16 f, 16 hfor restricting the movement in the lateral direction of the top plate17 relative to the fan motor support plate 16 whereby the movement inthe lateral direction of the top plate 17 relative to the fan motorsupport plate 16 is restricted. As a result, it is possible to providean outdoor machine of an air conditioner which is capable of improvingthe mounting workability of mounting the top plate 17 to the fan motorsupport plate 16 and enhancing the productivity.

Further, the top plate 17 includes a guide part 17 f for restricting themovement in the lateral direction of the top plate 17 relative to thefan motor support plate 16 whereby the movement in the lateral directionof the top plate 17 relative to the fan motor support plate 16 isrestricted. As a result, it is possible to provide an outdoor machine ofan air conditioner which is capable of improving the mountingworkability of mounting the top plate 17 to the fan motor support plate16 and enhancing the productivity.

Further, the guide parts 16 f, 16 h are provided on at least left andright sides of the contour of the screw fixing piece 17 c placed on thefront side of the prop front plane 16 j of the fan motor support plate16 and has a shape protruding to the front side. Further, by placing thescrew fixing piece 17 c between the left and right guide parts 16 f, 16h, the movement in the lateral direction of the screw fixing piece 17 cis restricted and the movement in the lateral direction of the top plate17 relative to the fan motor support plate 16 is restricted. With theseconfigurations, it is possible to provide an outdoor machine of an airconditioner which is capable of improving the mounting workability ofmounting the top plate 17 to the fan motor support plate 16 andenhancing the productivity.

Further, the guide part 16 f is formed by cutting and raising the propfront plane 16 j to the front side. Accordingly, it is possible toprovide an outdoor machine of an air conditioner which is capable ofenhancing the mounting workability by restricting the movement in thelateral direction of the top plate 17 with a simple configuration,improving the ventilation of the blower room 4 of the outdoor machine bythe hole 16 g formed as a result of the cutting and raising andimproving the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger 12.

Further, the screw fixing piece 17 c is located at the lowermostposition of the top plate 17 in a state where the top plate 17 is fittedto the fitting portion 16 c of the fan motor support plate 16.Accordingly, a worker can fasten a screw while watching the screw holes17 e, 16 e from the front side. As a result, it is possible to providean outdoor machine of an air conditioner which is capable of enhancingthe mounting workability and further improving the productivity.

Further, a vent hole 19 penetrating the prop front plane 16 j isprovided on the prop front plane 16 j near which the screw fixing piece17 c is placed. With this configuration, it is possible to provide anoutdoor machine of an air conditioner which is capable of improving theventilation of the blower room of the outdoor machine and improving theheat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger 12.

What is claimed is:
 1. An outdoor machine of an air conditioner,comprising: a housing; a heat exchanger, which is placed on a rear side;a blower fan, which is placed on a front side of the heat exchanger andblows air from the rear side to the front side of the housing; a fanmotor, which is placed between the heat exchanger and the blower fan anddrives the blower fan; and a fan motor mount, to which the fan motor isfixed, wherein the heat exchanger, the blower fan, the fan motor and thefan motor mount are placed inside the housing, wherein the fan motormount comprises: a fan motor support plate, which has a lower endportion fixed to a bottom plate configuring a bottom face of thehousing, is provided substantially in a vertical direction toward a topface of the housing and supports the fan motor in a middle of thevertical direction; and a top plate, which connects to fix an upper endportion of the fan motor support plate and a front panel configuring afront face of the housing, wherein the fan motor support plate is formedwith: a plurality of props which extends substantially in the verticaldirection from the bottom plate; a prop horizontal plane, which connectsupper end portions of the props to each other and extends in afront-rear direction from the upper end portions of the props; a propfront plane, which is downwardly and substantially vertically bent fromthe prop horizontal plane to face the front panel; a fitting portion,which is provided on the prop horizontal plane and fitted to a rear endof the top plate; and a first screw hole, which is provided on the propfront plane to fix the top plate, wherein the top plate is formed with:a screw fixing piece, which has a shape parallel to the prop front planeand extending downward and is provided with a second screw holecorresponding the first screw hole of the fan motor support plate,wherein the fitting portion of the fan motor support plate is fitted tothe rear end of the top plate, and wherein the screw fixing piece of thetop plate is located on the front side of the prop front plane of thefan motor support plate.
 2. The outdoor machine of the air conditioneraccording to claim 1, wherein the prop front plane connects the upperend portions of the props to each other, wherein the prop horizontalplane protrudes to the rear side from the upper end portion of the propfront plane, and wherein the rear end of the prop horizontal plane isprovided with an upper end fixing part to fix the upper end portion ofthe heat exchanger.
 3. The outdoor machine of the air conditioneraccording to claim 1, wherein the fitting portion has a shape anL-shaped cross-section including an upright portion and a horizontalplate piece formed by cutting and raising a center portion in thelateral direction of the prop horizontal plane, so that an opening isformed at both left and right sides and the front side of the fittingportion, except for a position corresponding to the upright portion; andwherein, when the rear end of the top plate below the horizontal platepiece is located, the movement in the vertical direction of the topplate is restricted.
 4. The outdoor machine of the air conditioneraccording to claim 1, wherein at least one of the fan motor supportplate and the top plate comprises a guide part restricting the movementin the lateral direction of the top plate relative to the fan motorsupport plate.
 5. The outdoor machine of the air conditioner accordingto claim 4, wherein the guide part protrudes to the front side to beplaced at least left and right sides of the screw fixing piece placed onthe front side of the prop front plane of the fan motor support plate,and wherein, when the screw fixing piece between the left and rightguide parts is placed, a movement in the lateral direction of the screwfixing piece is restricted, so that the movement in the lateraldirection of the top plate relative to the fan motor support plate isrestricted.
 6. The outdoor machine of the air conditioner according toclaim 5, wherein the guide part is formed by cutting and raising theprop front plane to the front side.
 7. The outdoor machine of the airconditioner according to claims 1, wherein the screw fixing piece islocated at the lowermost position of the top plate in a state where thetop plate is fitted to the fitting portion of the fan motor supportplate.
 8. The outdoor machine of the air conditioner according to claim1, wherein a vent hole penetrating the prop front plane is provided onthe prop front plane near the screw fixing piece.